The Invisible War

One of the many benefits of a study of the book of Revelation is the fact that it unveils the unseen reality of the invisible war. There is an invisible war going on around us between God and Satan. We will be introduced to the devil today in our text. Revelation 12 is all about that invisible war.

I think it’s dangerous to deny the existence of the devil, and it’s dangerous to be too intrigued and interested in the devil. You can go to either extreme; either you’re enamored with the devil, think about the devil, spend too much time looking and talking to him and developing a devil-made-me-do-it kind of mentality, or you can deny his existence.

But there is a war going on that we need to be aware of. Ephesians 6:12 says, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Revelation 12 continues the parenthetical section that began in chapter 10 and goes to the end of chapter 15. The chronological narrative doesn’t begin again until chapter 16 with the seven bowl judgments that come upon the earth in the last half of the tribulation.

Chapter 12 is one of the most amazing chapters of the Bible. A great Bible teacher named Harry Allen Ironside said that if you didn’t get the identity of the woman, the dragon and the man-child correct in this chapter, it would throw off your understanding of Revelation. It is key to understanding God’s redemptive plan and purpose.

This chapter describes the great cosmic conflict of the ages between God and Satan. But even before we study this chapter, we know who wins the war. We may look around today and wonder why the devil is winning and why it is getting so dark. But we know that Jesus Christ will conquer as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Technically, chapter 12 should start at Revelation 11:15. John says, “Then the seventh angel…”—this was the seventh trumpet or the third woe—“…sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven…”—or “great” or “mega” in the Greek, which is repeated throughout chapter 12—“…saying, ‘The kingdoms…”—it’s actually “kingdom”—“…of this world have become the kingdoms…”—or “kingdom”—“…of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”

Notice there are only two kingdoms: the kingdom of this world and the kingdom “of the Lord and of His Christ.” These are two kingdoms in conflict. This is the clash of the titans; there is Satan and there is God.

The devil is not omnipresent. He’s not all powerful. He’s not all knowing. He is not divine; he’s limited. He is a created being. He’s a fallen angel. He has power, wisdom, stealth, he’s cunning and deadly, but he’s not on a par by any means with God.

As we look at this conflict in chapter 12, there are three sections. The first is the prelude to the war, in verses 1-6. “Now a great…”—the key word again, “mega”—“…sign appeared in heaven: a woman…”—the first character—“…clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven…”—so we open with two signs—“…behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up…”—that’s the same word used for the rapture or “harpodzo”—“…to God and His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days,” or three-and-a-half years. 

Notice that this section open with two great signs or wonders: the sign of the woman and the sign of the great, fiery red dragon. This “sign” or “wonder” is used to indicate an object with special, important or significant meaning. We must be correct in our interpretation of who this woman is.

It’s interesting that there are four key women mentioned in Revelation, and they are all symbolic. There is Jezebel, in Revelation 2:20, who is symbolic of paganism; there is the harlot, in Revelation 17:4, who is symbolic of false religion; there is the bride, in Revelation 19:7, which is the church, the body of Christ or the virgin bride of Christ; and there is this woman of chapter 12.

The question is, who is this woman of chapter 12? First let me tell you who the woman is not. The woman is not the church. The church is the virgin bride of Christ, so if the church is pregnant, it’s in trouble. And the church does not bring forth the man-child, who is a reference to Christ. And I believe the church has already been “caught up” from the earth, as is seen in chapters 4 and 5 in the heavenly scene. So it’s not a reference to the church.

Those who want to place the church in the tribulation and think of a mid-tribulation rapture might think it’s the church. But it’s the man-child who is “caught up.” It’s not the woman; she goes through the entire tribulation period.

Nor do I believe that this woman is Mary, the mother of Jesus. That’s what the Roman Catholic Church teaches, and they have an image of Mary, the mother of heaven. She’s on the moon and she has the stars around her head and the sun behind her. So it’s the image of Mary, the queen of heaven. They believe she ascended back to heaven like Jesus and that she’s seated in heaven next to God the Son. But that’s not who this is. If it is, then Mary is still in the future to be on earth during the time of the tribulation. That seems to be an inconsistent thought and also inconsistent for other reasons.

Thirdly, there was a woman named Mary Baker Eddy, who then became known as Mary Baker Glover Patterson Eddy, who was the founder of Christian Science. She claimed to be this woman.

Isn’t that convenient that people come along and say, “That’s me; I’m in the book of Revelation”?

She actually claims that the man-child who was born was Christian Science; that she gave birth to Christian Science and brought it to the world. But she has been long gone. And this is a prophetic book; this book is future to us today.

So who is this woman in our text? I believe she is Israel. How do I know that? Notice the description in verse 1. She is “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.” There is only one other place in the Bible where those same images are found. That’s in Genesis 37:5-9. It is the story of Joseph, the dreamer. Joseph had two dreams. His first dream was that he was binding sheaves in the field, and 11 sheaves bowed down and worshipped his sheave. He told his dream to his brothers, who already didn’t like him very much. He was like the spoiled little brother who mom and dad liked better than his brothers. His brothers thought, We’re not bowing down to you! In Joseph’s second dream, he told his brothers that “the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” That’s the same imagery as verse 1 of our text.

The sun and the moon refer to Jacob and Rachael. The twelve stars refer to the twelve sons of Jacob, who become the twelve tribes of Israel. So I believe this woman is symbolic of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people.

It’s interesting that Jeremiah 30:7 refers to the time of tribulation as “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” It’s one of the most significant verses in the Old Testament about “the day of the Lord.”

By the way, the tribulation is talked about in the Old Testament, by Jesus in the Gospels, by Paul in his epistles, so it runs all the way through the Scriptures.

So Israel plays center stage in God’s drama of redemption. And never confuse the church with Israel or the nations of the world with Israel. There are three things you need to keep in their proper category and place: God’s program and plan for Gentile nations; God’s program and plan for the nation of Israel, which is center stage; and God’s program and plan for the church, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ. Don’t intermingle these three categories; keep them distinct, or it will confuse all of prophetic Scripture.

So I believe that this woman is none other than the nation of Israel. And we see that Satan’s hatred has been vented against the Jewish people and the nation of Israel throughout all of history. They have been persecuted, dispersed, attacked and murdered. During World War II, Hitler killed 6 million plus Jews and tried to wipe them off the face of the earth. But God preserved them and kept them. In the future, they are still going to be here during the tribulation, because it’s the time of “Jacob’s trouble,” and God has a purpose and a plan for them.

Now notice, in verse 2, this woman, “being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.” In verse 5, we’ll see that this child is none other than Jesus Christ.

Now notice the second sign or wonder, in verses 3-4, is the “great, fiery red dragon.” “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.” Who is this “great, fiery red dragon”? Our text clearly tells us in verse 9. “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.”

The Bible teaches the existence of a real, personal being called the devil or Satan. He’s not a figment of our imagination. He’s not some joke by Flip Wilson. He’s a real, powerful, cunning being. He’s a fallen angel, and it’s dangerous to deny his existence. Being called a “dragon,” in verse 3 means he’s fierce and cruel. Being a “red dragon” indicates he is blood thirsty as to his character and nature. It’s a picture of the devil covered with the blood of the saints.

He has seven heads, ten horns and ten diadems or kingly crowns. The best way to view these heads, horns and crowns is in connection with Revelation 13, where the Antichrist comes to power with ten nations, and the horns and crowns. So it is believed that Satan has his power, influence and vents out his wrath and hatred on the nation of Israel and the world through the Antichrist and his kingdom. But as it says in chapter 11, verse 15, “The kingdoms of this world,” which is that of the Antichrist, is demonically and Satanically empowered and “have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” Christ wins the war.

The devil uses people, governments and wars to destroy mankind on the earth. We need to understand that; it’s very, very significant. So this “great, fiery red dragon,” who is the devil, works through the Antichrist and his governmental powers.

Now notice Satan’s fall, recorded in verse 4. There is a lot of interesting doctrine and insight to the devil in these Scriptures. It says, “His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.” The stars here, I believe, are a reference to angels. In Ezekiel 28 and in Jude 6 there is a reference to the angels falling in rebellion with the devil. God created angels sometime in eternity past. One of them was Lucifer, “the son of the morning,” who was a powerful, beautiful angel. Some say he might have been the other archangel besides Michael. Lucifer was lifted up with pride—that’s the origin and mystery of iniquity—and wanted to take God’s place, so he was kicked out of heaven initially but still has access to God’s throne to accuse the brethren.

It says that “his tail drew a third of the stars,” and I believe that is a reference to the fall of other angels with the devil. He deceived them into going in league with him, and they fell from heaven with him. These are what we know today as “demons.” So you have Satan and other angels, which are demons, that fell from the heavenly scene. These are the stars that fell with the devil.

Continuing with verse 4, “And the dragon stood before the woman…”—which is Israel—“…who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child…”—which is Christ—“…as soon as it was born.” Through the nation of Israel, God sent the promised seed, the Messiah, Jesus, the Savior of the world. But when Satan fell, as recorded in Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28 and Jude 6, “angels who did not keep their proper domain,” fell from their place.

Satan’s murderous attempt was to destroy Israel and the promised seed, the Redeemer Jesus Christ. That goes all the way back to Genesis 4, where we have the murder of Abel by Cain, and in Exodus 1, where Pharaoh had all the male babies of Israel killed. Then there was the decree of Haman in the book of Esther. Haman, the madman, wanted to destroy all the Jews, but God used Esther to spare them and save the promised line. Then there were the attempts of Satan to kill Christ. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Herod, in a jealous, suspicious rage, sent out a decree that all the babies two years old and under in that area were to be murdered. It was the slaughter of the innocents in trying to kill Jesus.

It’s interesting that the angel of the Lord came to Mary and Joseph and told them to flee to Egypt, because the king was trying to kill Jesus. Then they safely fled to Egypt, and God protected that child. So all through the life of Jesus, Satan was trying to stop God’s redemptive plan by murdering the Son of God before He would get to the Cross. When there was a storm on the sea of Galilee, Jesus was with others in a boat, and they were in danger of sinking. Satan was trying to destroy the Son of God. Then Jesus stood up in the boat and spoke to the storm. “Peace; be still!” Then there was the great calm. When Jesus was in Nazareth, a crowd tried to throw Him over a cliff to kill Him.

The next character, in verses 5-6, is “a male Child.” There is no mention of a sign with this character. This is none other than Jesus Christ. “She bore a male Child…”—and here’s His description—“…who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.” The word “rule” here literally means “to shepherd.” Psalm 2:8-9 says, “I will give You the nations for Your inheritance….You shall break them with a rod of iron.” Continuing in verse 5, “And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.”

I want to point something out here. We have the birth of Christ, at the end of verse 4 and the beginning of verse 5. Then we have the Second Coming of Christ, when He comes to usher in the millennial kingdom and to rule and reign, in verse 5: He “was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.” Then we have the Ascension of Christ, when He is “caught up to God and His throne,” verse 5. The word for “caught up” is the same word used for the rapture: 
“harpodzo.” Also in verse 5 we have His exaltation: “to God and His throne.”

But there is no mention of the life of Christ, of His death, of His Resurrection or of the church age in this verse. I mention this because many times in prophetic Scripture you have gaps that you wouldn’t know are there unless you are sensitive to synchronizing Scripture.

Verse 6, “Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God.” We’ll read more about that in verse14, where she was given an eagle’s wings and was in the wilderness. In Matthew 24:16, Jesus instructed the Jews during the tribulation to “let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” to be protected and saved. So God protects and provides for her, that is, Israel. God watches over her.

This is from the middle of the tribulation to the Second Coming. This is the second half of the tribulation, three-and-a-half years or “one thousand two hundred and sixty days,” at the end of verse 6. “…that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” So we are now reading about things that will happen during the second half of the great tribulation.

In the middle of the tribulation, the Antichrist desecrates the temple, and the Jews realize that he is not the Messiah, so they flee into the wilderness and are protected by God.

Now notice the second movement of our chapter on war. It is verses 7-12. It is the war in heaven. First there is the battle, in verses 7-8. So the chapter opens with great signs in heaven: the woman and the dragon. Now there is war in heaven. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought.” You talk about a cosmic conflict! There is a war going on that we can’t see; this is the invisible war. “But they did not prevail.” So the dragon and his demonic fallen angels did not prevail against Michael.

Michael is mentioned in Jude 9 as warring against the devil. The name “Michael” means “who is like God?” The answer is “No one.” But Michael is able to overcome “the great, fiery red dragon,” who is Satan. So it says, “Nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.” 

As we’re going to see, to this day, the devil has access to heaven, when he accuses us before the throne of God. But this is the point in the middle of the tribulation where he is kicked out once and for all and comes back down to the earth. Hal Lindsey, in his commentary on Revelation, believes that this is when the Antichrist actually becomes possessed and controlled by none other than Satan himself.

In verse 9 we see the victory. “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” So Satan’s access to God ends. In the book of Job, Satan came before God and accused Job. Satan is even able to do that to this present time. But during the tribulation he will have no more access to God.

Notice the terms or titles for the devil, in verse 9. “The great dragon” speaks of his fierceness. “Serpent of old” speaks of his subtlety. Then he’s called “the Devil.” The word “Devil” means “the accuser” or “slanderer.” That’s what the devil does; he accuses us and slanders us. Then the word “Satan” means “adversary.” He’s fierce, subtle, he slanders us and he is our enemy. And he “deceives the whole world.” One of the chief ways that he deceives the whole world—we’ll see that in chapter 17—is with false religion. All of the false religious systems have been devised by Satan to damn men’s souls for all eternity.

In verses 10-12, we see the celebration. John says, “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God…”—again, this is prophetic anticipation—“…and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’”

I think that’s interesting. Satan doesn’t sleep. Warren Wiersbe once was taking a break, and one of his parishioners asked, “Why do you take breaks? Why do you take vacations? The devil doesn’t do that.”

He wisely said, “Well, the devil doesn’t have a body; I do. The devil doesn’t need to take a nap; I do. The devil doesn’t go to bed at night; I do. He doesn’t have to take a break.” So day and night, 24-7, the devil is before the throne of God accusing the brethren.

Verse 11 is a classic verse. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens…”—so heaven is rejoicing, because they overcame the devil—“…and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!” So there is rejoicing in heaven but lamenting on earth. Why? “For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Take note of this: the devil comes down to earth for the last three-and-a-half years of his existence on earth. He’ll have a few other opportunities, but he’s finally and at last kicked out of heaven. He comes down to earth, and he knows his days are numbered. The devil has read the book of Revelation. He knows where he’s going to spend eternity. And since misery loves company, he wants to take as many people with him to hell as he can.

By the way, the devil is not in hell right now. But he will be one day, because hell was prepared for him, that lake of fire, and for those who choose to follow him. He knows his days are numbered; at this point, he actually only has three-and-a-half years left. In Revelation 20:10, he’ll be thrown into the lake of fire.

Let’s go back to verse 11, and I’ll make some application here. It says, “They…”—meaning the brethren or believers in verse 10—“…overcame him…”—or the devil, Satan or the dragon—“…by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

So how did they overcome him? I don’t want to be overcome; I want to be an overcomer. That can only happen in Christ. There are three things you need to do to overcome the devil, in verse 11. One, “by the blood of the Lamb.” I believe that’s a reference to the Cross of Jesus Christ. You cannot overcome the devil in your own strength. If you roll up your sleeves and say, “Come on, devil! Let’s box!” I’ll cover my eyes and not watch. You have no strength against his power. You have no wisdom that can outsmart him. You must hide yourself in the Cross of Christ. Jesus died on the Cross to divest Satan of his power and authority over you.

Colossians 2:14-15 says, “…having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” So in the Cross, Jesus spoiled Satan’s power. He divested him of his weapons.

In John 12:31, Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” In this context, He was referring to the Cross. Jesus would go to the Cross, suffer and die and pay the penalty for mankind’s sin. The basis of our victory over Satan is the Cross of Jesus Christ.

So when the devil comes to accuse you and attack you, stand fast in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Like Paul, boast in the Cross of Christ. “My sins have been forgiven. Jesus said, ‘It is finished,’ there is no more discussion, Satan, because I’m a child of God.”

The second way to overcome the devil is “by the word of their testimony.” So the Cross is the basis of our victory, but our testimony is the activity that overcomes the devil. It’s the idea that we tell others, that we witness, that we live a life of godliness, so others see the testimony of our life. One of the powers of overcoming Satan is a consistent testimony or witness. When you open your mouth and testify of God’s grace in your life, that is a powerful, powerful weapon to overcome the devil. If there is one thing Satan does not want you to do once you get saved, it is to tell other people about it. He says, “Shh. Don’t tell anyone about it. You can join the club of Jesus Christ of the Secret Order.” No. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Let your testimony shine for Jesus. That’s the way to give the devil a black eye.

Look at the third thing you need to do to overcome the devil: “They did not love their lives to the death.” So the devil wants to nullify your testimony and for you to love yourself—not the Lord—and not be willing to sacrifice for His cause. This is the attitude. So we have the basis, the activity and the attitude. The attitude is dying to self, self-sacrifice, being ready and willing to die for Jesus Christ.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “Would I be willing to die for Christ? Would I be willing to go to the stake to be burned to death rather than deny Jesus Christ, my Savior?” Are you willing to die? If that’s the case, Satan can’t defeat you. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Satan has tried to kill Christians for years, but it never works; the church just grows and flourishes. In many ways, though, it’s hard to think in those terms. But persecution doesn’t hinder the church.

Am I concerned about America? Yes. Am I concerned about the restrictions on our freedoms and liberties? Yes. But it won’t stop the kingdom of God from coming. Satan can’t stop the church. Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” In many hostile environments, the church is growing and flourishing. It’s so important to understand.

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

The third section of this chapter is verses 13-17, the war on earth. So we go from the prelude to war, to the war in heaven and now the war on earth. Satan’s attacks against Israel, in the second half of the tribulation, will no doubt be used by the Antichrist, as Satan empowers him to use his armies to make war against God’s people.

Notice that there are three attacks and God’s protection, in verses 13-14. “Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth…”—he realized that he only had three-and-a-half years left—“…he persecuted the woman…”—or “Israel”—“…who gave birth to the male Child.” That would be Christ. “But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.” This is the first time we are introduced to this way of saying “three-and-a-half years.” It’s “a time and times and half a time.” “Time” is one year, “times” is two years and “half a time” is half a year, so we have three-and-a-half years, 1,260 days or 42 months. This is the last half of the seven-year tribulation.

So the first attack is that he is cast to the earth, and he attacks and persecuted the woman in verse 13. But notice that He protects her. In Matthew 24:15-21, Jesus says, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand).” I believe that Jewish people in the tribulation will find New Testaments and read Jesus’ words here in Matthew. Continuing, “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” This is what we just read in Revelation 12:14. The woman is given “two wings of a great eagle.” Some say the eagle represents America. I don’t think that’s the case. In the Old Testament, Israel was carried many times on eagles’ wings. It speaks of God’s strength in carrying them and in protecting them.

Vere 17, “Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.” You don’t go downstairs and grab your cell phone, your wallet and a water bottle. You just book it right out. “And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” So he’ talking to Jews who could only go a certain distance on the Sabbath day. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no nor ever shall be.”

So when this happens, you’ll know that Jesus predicted it. The Antichrist will erect an image of himself in the temple and command people to worship him. If you worship him, you are following the devil. Instead, flee into the wilderness. Some believe that the rock city in Moab will be the rock city of Petra, and that there the people will be protected and taken care of during this time. We don’t know; it just says that they will “fly into the wilderness.”

The second attack is in verses 15-16. “So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like…”—notice the word “like”—“…a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.” Notice the devil is not actually a snake, but it represents the devil. And this is not actually a water flood, but it probably represents the army of the Antichrist. “But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood…”—or “the army”—“…which the dragon has spewed out of his mouth.”

In Isaiah 59:19, the prophet said, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” So God protects, preserves and takes care of Israel, as He has all these years. Why? Because Israel has a particular place and purpose. Israel is part of God’s time clock. They are His people. He has promised to fulfill His covenant with them; that David’s line would sit on the throne forever and ever, the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and that the promise of His coming kingdom must be fulfilled. So there is a future for the nation of Israel.

Then notice the closing attack, in verse 17. “And the dragon was enraged with the woman…”—that’s the nation of Israel—“…and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Antisemitism is demonically energized. It’s more than racism; it’s demonic, and it’s from the pit of hell.

Have you ever wondered why the Jews have been persecuted all these years? It’s because they are God’s people. Satan hates God. Why do Christians get persecuted? Because they belong to God. Why do people attack the Bible? Because it’s God’s Word. So it’s all demonically energized.

There’s so much that can be said about all this. The battle is real. There really is a devil out there, and he really doesn’t like you. He took one third of the angels. We don’t know how many angels there are, but we know that the good angels outnumber the bad angels two to one. Praise God! But there could be a lot of angels or demons with the devil. Just like Santa Claus has a lot of helpers, so does the devil. The devil hates your marriage, your church, your pastor, the people of God, the testimony of God, the Word of God and he is going to do all he can to destroy God’s work.

But the victory has already been won. Christ went to the Cross, died and conquered sin and death and Satan, and He rose victoriously from the grave. He ascended to heaven and sits exalted at the right hand of God the Father. The Cross is the basis of our victory.